Vendôme Circle – A community of aesthetes | exclusive cultural experiences

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Welcome to
Vendôme Circle

Purveyor of
Privileged Experiences

In Paris and in select
regions of France and Europe

Privileged Experiences

Vendôme Experiences are an invitation

to immerse yourself completely

in a certain art de vivre best exemplified

by the quest for excellence in all things,

an art de vivre that celebrates life in all its forms,

especially in artistic, literary and gastronomic creation.

From the 16th century when the House of Valois

presided over the flourishing of the Renaissance in France,

a way of life developed in the royal court

that has been continuously refined

and passed on throughout the centuries …

You are invited to step into this world.

To discover. To explore. To indulge.

Personne ne peut rivaliser avec Vendôme Circle, tout est absolument unique. Être membre de Vendôme Circle, c’est retrouver le goût du privilège et la douceur de vivre. En un mot, incomparable !!!

No one can rival Vendôme Circle: everything is entirely unique. To be a member of Vendôme Circle is to savour the feeling of exclusivity and to enjoy good living. In a word, incomparable!!!

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Immersing you in the art of living. Curating moments of beauty, intellectual curiosity, and timeless culture for those who seek the extraordinary.

Our founder, Douglas Arthur Pierce, is preparing a

Our founder, Douglas Arthur Pierce, is preparing a custom walking tour for guests who wanted to explore the Paris arcades (covered passages).

Join him on this stroll and take in some of the details along the way.

#passagescouverts #galeriesparisiennes #parishistorique #palaisroyal #galerievivienne #passagedespanoramas #galerieverododat

« Nous ne sommes que trois … », ‘We are bu

« Nous ne sommes que trois … », ‘We are but three …,’ sing the three graces in the Royal Ballet of the Night.

Here are three of their depictions in the Louvre. How many more have you seen? And what are your favourites?

The first is a Roman copy from the 2nd Century BCE; the second is a remarkable fresco by Botticelli from the Villa Lemmi outside of Florence; and the third is from The Education of the Queen from the cycle dedicated to Marie de’ Medici by Rubens.

#threegraces #lestroisgraces #sculptureromaine #sculpturegrecque #romansculpture #greeksculpture #hellenisticsculpture #botticelli #renaissanceart #rubens #mariedemedicis

There’s nothing like being able to admire the Ni

There’s nothing like being able to admire the Nike of Samothrace without crowds. And don’t forget to look up 👀✨

#victoryofsamothrace #victoiredesamothrace #nikeofsamothrace #louvrearchitecture #frencharchitecture #palaisdulouvre #frenchpalace #ceilingdetails

A Mannerist Easter at the Louvre—Vendôme Circle

A Mannerist Easter at the Louvre—Vendôme Circle wishes a Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate.

These two paintings of scenes of the resurrection are excellent examples of Italian Mannerist painting. The first, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, is by Francesco Salviati; the second is Bronzino’s sumptuous Noli me tangere in which Christ is depicted in a spiral pose called the figura serpentinata, typical of Mannerism.

#mannerism #italianpainting #resurrection #easter #louvre #bronzino #salviati #italianmannerism

In memoriam Antoniae #marieantoinette #petittria

In memoriam Antoniae

#marieantoinette #petittrianon #lebristolparis #cafeantonia #chapelleexpiatoire

Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People’ sta

Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People’ stands as a powerful symbol of the Romantic spirit—rebellion, passion, and a quest for the Sublime. This month, our book club is diving deep into the Romantic movement, exploring how writers like Victor Hugo and Théophile Gautier broke away from Classical norms, embracing the wild and the chaotic in art. Want to be part of the conversation? Join our book club to explore these ideas with us and subscribe on our website for full access to articles and discussions! 📚✨

Tap the link in bio to read the latest article and learn how Romanticism redefined beauty and art.

#LibertyLeadingThePeople #EugeneDelacroix #Romanticism #Sublime #ApollonianAndDionysian #VictorHugo #ThéophileGautier #ArtForArtsSake #ArtHistory #BookClubDiscussion #RomanticArt #ArtManifesto #SublimeBeauty #ArtAndPhilosophy

✨ Step into the hidden world of Empress Josephin

✨ Step into the hidden world of Empress Josephine with this view of the Château de la Petite Malmaison, the onetime private greenhouse and reception space of the empress, nestled within her estate at Malmaison. This historic gem, now a private home, was open last weekend for European Heritage Days, offering visitors an exceptional opportunity to explore. 🌿🏛️

For those who missed the chance, don’t worry! On Sunday, October 6 at 17:00, the château will host its monthly concert, inviting guests to enjoy music in this unique historical setting. 🎶✨

Like and share if you appreciate French heritage 🇫🇷 #vendomecircle #heritage #chateaudelapetitemalmaison #empressjosephine #concert #franceheritage #frencharchitecture #historicgardens #patrimoine

🌟 Embark on a Literary Journey with Vendôme Ci

🌟 Embark on a Literary Journey with Vendôme Circle—Join Today! 📖✨

This July we invite you to join us as we launch our book club with Aeschylus’s Oresteia. This masterpiece of Ancient Greek Tragedy continues to raise issues for aesthetics that remain current 2,482 years after it was first performed in Athens. 🏛️

Why stop there? We shall also be diving into a wide variety of texts as we explore aesthetics and the history of beauty—from the Romantic movement with Victor Hugo or Goethe to the sublime poetry of Dante’s Divine Comedy and much more. 🌍💫

Join our vibrant community for lively discussions via Zoom and our dedicated online forum. Whether you’re passionate about philosophy, classic literature or the evolution of cultural aesthetics, there’s a place for you here. 🎭📚

👉 Click on the link in bio to read more and to subscribe today.

#VendomeCircleReads #VendomeCircleBookClub #LiteratureLovers #BookClub #Philosophy #GreekTragedy #BookstagramClassics #ReadingTheClassics #ReadingCommunity

[New article] Join Vendôme Circle on a visual jou

[New article] Join Vendôme Circle on a visual journey of the Villa Cavrois, shot on black and white film by founder Douglas Arthur Pierce. Link in bio.

Nestled in Croix, near Lille, the Villa Cavrois stands as a testament to the avant-garde vision of architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. Built between 1929 and 1932 for the industrialist Paul Cavrois, this modernist chateau blends innovative design with modern-day comfort.

Vendôme Circle offers exclusive tours of the Villa Cavrois on day trips from Paris for our members and guests. Contact us for more information.

Read more on our website.

#villacavrois #villacavroisbyrobertmalletstevens #robertmalletstevens #modernarchitecture #daytripfromparis #architecturephotography #architexture

Vendôme Circle is happy to announce the upcoming

Vendôme Circle is happy to announce the upcoming launch of its virtual book club open to International Subscribers and Members.

The governing theme of our book club will be aesthetics and a search for beauty through a variety of perspectives. We will explore a wealth of texts—philosophical, literary, poetic, biographical, historical or epistolary—from Antiquity to today that highlight the development of aesthetics within the Western canon.

We will focus on a selection of the key texts that—over the last 2,600 years or so—have elaborated or given form to an aesthetic and contributed significantly to the development of our historical and collective thought.

From Ancient Greek tragedies to key texts of the Romantic movement, from beloved classics like Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris or Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard to lesser-known but equally important works like Madame de La Fayette’s The Princesse de Clèves or the medieval Romance of the Rose, we will explore some of the best of theatre, poetry and literature. We will also dig into more philosophical texts like Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy or Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origins of the Sublime and Beautiful.

While centred in Paris, conversations will be held primarily in English to allow broad participation from around the globe.

#bookclub #bookstagram #booklover #greatbooks #onlinebookclub #aesthetics #classicliterature #victorhugo #nietzsche #edmundburke #madamedelafayette

This week Vendôme Circle was at the Théâtre des

This week Vendôme Circle was at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées to hear a majestic interpretation of a selection of Chopin, Rachmaninov and Liszt Etudes by @yoav_levanon.

As has become our custom, we sat in our favorite box and enjoyed a private champagne cocktail during intermission.

Had a post-concert cocktail and millefeuille to finish the evening.

Will you join us next time for another privileged experience?

#theatredeschampselysees #exclusiveexperience #luxurylifestyle #artdevivre #yoavlevanon

Andromache Mourning Hector, 1783 Jacques-Louis Dav

Andromache Mourning Hector, 1783
Jacques-Louis David

‘First to the corse the weeping consort flew;
Around his neck her milk–white arms she threw,
"And oh, my Hector! Oh, my lord! (she cries)
Snatch'd in thy bloom from these desiring eyes!
Thou to the dismal realms for ever gone!
And I abandon'd, desolate, alone!
An only son, once comfort of our pains,
Sad product now of hapless love, remains!
Never to manly age that son shall rise,
Or with increasing graces glad my eyes:
For Ilion now (her great defender slain)
Shall sink a smoking ruin on the plain.’

(Iliad, Book XXIV)

Presented both to the Salon and to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, this work assured David entrance into the academy and received a unanimous vote at the Salon.

#jacqueslouisdavid #18thcenturyart #neoclassicalart #neoclassicism #iliad #homer #hector #andromache #museedulouvre #louvremuseum

Stucco sculptures by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleus

Stucco sculptures by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse on the ceiling of the Grand Gallery of the Louvre.

When the architect Hector Lefuel redesigned the Grand Gallery, making space for the Pavillon des Sessions as well as reworking the structure and facade, he created a new Pavilion, the Pavillon La Trémoille to mirror the Pavillon Lesdiguières.

The interiors therefore required new decoration as well. The ceilings under the last two pavilions received paintings by Alexandre-Dominique Denuelle and stucco sculptures by Carrier-Belleuse as seen here.

#grandegalerie #grandegaleriedulouvre #museedulouvre #palaisdulouvre #louvre #secondempire #19thcenturyarchitecture #19thcenturyart #frencharchitecture

Apelles Painting Campaspe in the Presence of Alexa

Apelles Painting Campaspe in the Presence of Alexander the Great (1814-1816),
Jacques-Louis David

‘Apelles was the most famous painter of Antiquity. Legend has it that King Alexander the Great commissioned him to paint a portrait of his mistress, Campaspe.

David depicts the moment when his illustrious predecessor, contemplating the body of the beautiful woman, falls in love with her. Stunned, arms flailing, he interrupts his sketch, torn between his feelings and obedience to the sovereign, who is looking over his shoulder.

The décor and furnishings are inspired by the codes of Antiquity, but transposed into the neo-classical style.’

#jacqueslouisdavid #neoclassicism #neoclassicalart #museedesbeauxartsdelille #historyofart #arthistory

Happy birthday, Antinous! Here is a bronze bust o

Happy birthday, Antinous!

Here is a bronze bust of Antinous in the Renaissance Château d’Ecouen. At the time of the Revolution two busts were taken from the Château d’Ecouen: one in bronze and one in marble. The other is on display at the Louvre.

Following his death, the emperor Hadrian proclaimed him a god and his worship spread throughout the empire.

He was born around 27 November, 110/111 in Bythinia.

In the second photo, you can see a bust of Hadrian opposite Antinous.

Felix Dies Natalis Antinoi!

#antinous #hadrian #antinoos #maleart #meninart #botd #chateaudecouen #ecouen

The stunning grand staircase of the Château de Ma

The stunning grand staircase of the Château de Maisons, designed by François Mansart in the mid-17th century. The staircase is set slightly off centre in one of the wings to create an impressive vestibule opening onto the courtyard and garden.

#chateaudemaisons #chateaudemaisonslaffitte #maisonslaffitte #frenchchateau #17thcenturyarchitecture #francoismansart

The spectacular Nike (or Winged Victory) of Samoth

The spectacular Nike (or Winged Victory) of Samothrace, a votive monument of the goddess Victory, stands at the top of the Daru staircase in the Louvre.

The staircase replaced an earlier one built under Napoleon I and served as an excellent place to display the statue discovered in 1863.

#wingedvictoryofsamothrace #nikeofsamothrace #victoiredesamothrace #louvremuseum #museedulouvre #secondempire #greeksculpture

The Compiègne Palace is on the to-visit list for

The Compiègne Palace is on the to-visit list for our Members’ activities. Although some of us have visited the palace multiple times, we have plans to visit it together for a private tour of a very unique and very personal collection dedicated to the last Imperial Family.

This staircase, now called the Apollo Staircase, was once the staircase that led to the apartments of Marie-Antoinette (the ‘Grand degré de la Reine’). A copy of the Apollo Belvedere stands on the landing.

#palaisdecompiegne #chateaudecompiegne #compiegne #royalpalace #imperialpalace #frenchchateau #apollobelvedere #apollon #apollo #marieantoinette #secondempire

We offer expert-led tours of the Louvre Museum. Gu

We offer expert-led tours of the Louvre Museum. Guests are welcomed at their hotel and accompanied to the Louvre where they (re)discover the treasures housed in the onetime royal palace.

‘Project for the Transformation of the Grande Galerie du Louvre (1796)’ by Hubert Robert, then on the commission in charge of the then new museum of the Louvre.

#hubertrobert #18thcenturyart #museedulouvre #louvremuseum #louvremuseumparis #parisarttour #museumtour #museumtours #arttours

Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), known primarily for

Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), known primarily for his sculptures and his work on the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (inaugurated in 1913), was also a prolific painter, and his work includes many drawings as well. His drawings and ink washes reveal an artist who embraced the spirit of fin de siècle and shared the same milieu as Symbolist poets who had inherited the legacy of Baudelaire and Mallarmé, while the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is an Art Deco masterpiece.

Read more and discover exclusive photography of the Musée Bourdelle at vendomecircle.com. Link in bio.

#museebourdelle #atelierbourdelle #artistatelier #artiststudio #studiomuseum #antoinebourdelle #19thcenturyart #20thcenturyart #parismuseum

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